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Michael Owen has been speaking about the intelligence of Martin Odegaard’s assist as Arsenal defeated West Ham United 1-0.
Arsenal took a huge stride towards their first Premier League title in 22 years with a closely contested win at the London Stadium.
🤔 Who starts the Champions League final in the number 10: Eberechi Eze or Martin Odegaard?
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Leandro Trossard netted the game’s only goal for Mikel Arteta’s team; however, VAR saved their blushes by disallowing Callum Wilson’s 95th-minute equaliser.
Following the win in East London, Odegaard has been credited by many as the difference-maker for Arsenal, and Owen is the latest pundit to hail the midfielder.
Michael Owen thinks Martin Odegaard’s assist vs West Ham was so clever
Michael Owen claims Martin Odegaard’s assist for Trossard’s winning goal against West Ham was so clever.
The Norwegian perfectly waited for the pass into Trossard to let him know that he had time to take the shot on straight away.
The Belgian attacker had a bit of fortune with the deflection, but he knew from Odegaard’s pass that his job was to take the shot on the first time.
When asked about whether Odegaard’s introduction changed the game, Owen told Premier League Productions: “He did. He had a couple of really good runs, a couple of lovely balls. It was his pass, his assist for this goal.
“They were probing at this time, obviously having a lot of the possession, and you wondered whether it was ever going to happen.
👀 Fill in the blank: Arsenal are taking _ points from the final two Premier League matches…
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“But the lovely weight of this ball tells Trossard this is one I’m telling you to hit first time. If he smacks it at him quite hard, then Odegaard knows he’s telling Trossard there’s something around him, and I’ve got to take a touch away from danger.
“But as it happens, he rolls it in just at the right pace to tell him right, you’re hitting this first time, it just takes a deflection. Impossible for the keeper.”
After the game, Odegaard insists that Arsenal are only focused on the next match, but it was his moment which may have just won them the title.
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